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NEW YORK -- Procter & Gamble is cancelling an on-field breast cancer awareness promotion it had been planning with the National Football League, the latest sponsor to respond to the leagues growing problems. The consumer products maker is the latest major sponsor, following PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch, to show concern over the NFLs handling of domestic abuse allegations against several players. Women make up 35 per cent of the average audience of 17.4 million during a regular-season NFL game and the league has made it a point to reach out to women in recent years. The league has made Breast Cancer Awareness month in October a particular focus. Part of its NFL Pink "Crucial Catch" campaign, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, features players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel, on-field pink ribbon stencils, special game balls and pink coins. P&Gs Crest brand had been working on a program with players from each of the NFLs 32 teams to wear pink mouthguards and participate in other activities. But on Friday the Cincinnati-based company said Crest would no longer be part of on-field activities and joined the chorus of sponsors voicing disapproval of the NFLs actions. It remains a sponsor but said it will "determine future actions as needed." "The brand has decided to cancel on-field activation with NFL teams," said spokesman Paul Fox in a statement. "Domestic violence is completely unacceptable and we have strongly urged the NFL to take swift and decisive action to address this issue... Our decision to cancel this on field activity was related to this ongoing issue." The company will still donate US$100,000 to the American Cancer society as planned and said breast-cancer awareness is a "critically important program to support women and their health." The NFL said that the sixth year of the "Crucial Catch" program will proceed. "We understand the ways the last week have impacted our partners, including Crest," the NFL said in a statement. "Players will still have the option to wear pink gear, including mouthguards, as planned, this year." The league and its teams are under fire over their handling of several players with domestic violence allegations against them. An investigation has been launched into whether NFL commissioner Roger Goodell knew about or saw a video of former Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice hitting his then-fiancee earlier than he said. Most major sponsors have voiced disapproval, with Budweiser beer maker Anheuser-Busch saying it is "increasingly concerned" about the situation. On Thursday PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi made a double-edged statement on the NFLs problems handling domestic violence, calling some players behaviour "repugnant" while also noting that she believes commissioner Roger Goodell is "a man of integrity." Manish Tripathi, assistant marketing professor at Emory University, said its not yet clear whether P&Gs move will be an isolated incident or open the floodgates for others. "Youre talking now about a specific promotion or campaign geared toward women," he said. "Anything that is negatively associated with NFL right now gets exacerbated with a campaign like that." Todd Helton Jersey .Y. -- Florida Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski finally has something to show for all the pain he went through in overcoming a string of injuries that kept him sidelined for much of the past two years. Greg Holland Jersey .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience. http://www.rockiesgearproshop.com/Rockies-Gerardo-Parra-Kids-Jersey/ . Left-handed reliever Boone Logan agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract on Friday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. DJ LeMahieu Jersey . City, fielding a depleted team having already qualified, was twice pegged back by the plucky Czech champions but substitute Negredo tapped home in the 78th minute and Dzekos header made sure of victory in the 89th. The result kept City three points behind Bayern Munich ahead of their meeting in Germany in two weeks. Carlos Gonzalez Jersey . James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win.LONDON - Is it any wonder Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi still set the goal-standard in football? Ascending to their level, or getting anywhere near their scoring rate, seems beyond most contemporaries.Particularly for the strikers whose hype and profiles eclipse their prowess in front of goal. And especially for some of the big names who switched clubs in the summer transfer window in search for a career reboot or club upgrade.Luis Suarez stepped up from Liverpool to Barcelona but is yet to raise his own game.Arriving as English footballs player of the season and the Premier Leagues top scorer, goals should have been a given for Suarez, even with his unpredictable temperament. While Barca has been untroubled by Suarezs conduct, goalkeepers have been similarly untroubled by his once-lethal shots.Since making his debut in October, after completing a four-month ban for biting at the World Cup, the 27-year-old Suarez has gone seven league games without scoring, netting only twice in the Champions League.Although Suarez has five assists in 10 games and his reputation doubtless unsettles defenders, which helps Messi and Neymar, the 81 million-euro (then $110 million) outlay was intended to guarantee goals.I came here to score goals, not only to makes passes for others to score, Suarez said last week in an interview with Barcelona newspaper Sport. If I came here its because I have scored many goals in my career and, above all, in Liverpool.Liverpool does not need reminding of what it has lost.The transfer windfall was quickly reinvested. Just not on a proven world-class scorer.The 32-year-old Rickie Lambert was brought in from Southampton to the club he supported as a boy after rising through Englands four professional leagues. Although mostly deployed from the bench, the 4 million-pound ($6 million) Englishman has not been the impact substitute desired as reflected by his record of two goals in 18 games.A gamble signing did not work either. Mario Balotelli has only replaced Suarez in one regard: as the Liverpool player bringing unwelcome attention from the Football Associations disciplinary department. Manager Brendan Rodgers wrongly thought he could tame the tempestuous Italian, who is facing an FA sanction for a racially offensive social media posting.While Suarez contributed 31 goals in all competitions last season as Liverpool finished second, Balotelli resembles the Barca Suarez — with no league goals for a team enduring its worst start in 50 years.AC Milan did well to persuade Liverpool in August to hand over 16 million pounds (then $27 million) for the former Manchester City player whose ascent as a sports star owes more to his public persona and antics than performances.ddddddddddddowever, Milan has not had much more luck revitalizing former Anfield favourite Fernando Torres.Strikers shouldnt necessarily lose their finishing touch over the years, but the predatory instinct and pace can fade. Torres was one of the most prolific strikers in 2011 when Chelsea paid Liverpool 50 million pounds (then $80 million) for the Spaniard, and his decline has been alarming.He has struggled with injuries, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told Italys Sky television. We need to be patient.Chelsea had enough when it offloaded the Spaniard on an unusually long two-year loan to Milan after only 20 goals in 110 league appearances.The other big loan move in the summer window is looking as much as a dud.Manchester United committed to an outlay of around $25 million on Radamel Falcaos salary and fee for a season-long loan from Monaco, and yet the player is struggling to get on the pitch.Managing only eight appearances, the injury bulletins have been lengthier than any dispatches of his on-field contributions. Just one goal, for the record.Before a serious knee injury in January, the Colombian was scoring almost a goal every two games for Monaco.Perhaps his greatest contribution at United has been creating a buzz by making the surprising deadline-day move. Persuading him to come to Old Trafford seemed to reassure United of its status among the football elite after a season on the slide under David Moyes.On Sunday, in one of the biggest games of the year for United, he only made a late appearance from the bench in the 3-0 win over Liverpool despite being fit. Louis van Gaal preferred to start speedier 19-year-old academy graduate James Wilson.When raw, young talents find it so hard to break into English teams, given the penchant for spending on more eye-catching foreigners, it was a bold move by Van Gaal.But when the transfer window re-opens in January, its likely teams will continue to throw cash at players who can produce goals in the second half of the season.It does work sometimes. Arsenal and Chelsea are profiting from investments of around $50 million each on forwards last summer. Alexis Sanchez has 14 goals in four months for Arsenal and Diego Costa has two fewer for Chelsea.___Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris ' ' '

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